Can I find a good Shoreline bagel at... Bakery Louise

You never know where you might find Western Washington's next great bagel...

Welcome to It’s A Shanda, one Northeastern Jew’s quest to find a decent bagel in Seattle (and beyond). Along with free bagel reviews every Sunday-ish, we also offer weekly bonus posts. If you’re already subscribed, I hope you’ll consider upgrading to a paid subscription! Thank you for reading.

The pandemic shaped much of the current Seattle-area bagel scene. At the time, several businesses shifted gears to become bagel places. While many Americans focused on making sourdough bread, some Western Washingtonians did the same for bagels, starting the journey towards what would become their own shops.

We may have moved on from that time, but the spirit and desire to make something yourself remains. And in the case of Jamie Hartung, that desire to bake bread and make bagels from scratch blossomed into a bona fide business, just a little bit later than others.

Last fall, she launched Bakery Louise, a cottage bakery out of Shoreline. Her menu is extensive, including all kinds of bread, focaccia, cinnamon rolls, scones, cakes, muffins, and, of course, bagels.

bakerylouise

A post shared by @bakerylouise

I first discovered Bakery Louise on Instagram and was impressed by the look of the bagels. I also get incredibly excited whenever I learn about a new bagel maker in the area (please don't make me return to Einstein Bros). Shoreline and North Seattle remain somewhat of a desert regarding bagels, so the possibility of a good option was extremely intriguing. 

bakerylouise

A post shared by @bakerylouise

So, I placed an order and schlepped it up to Shoreline to find out…

And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.

WHAT I ORDERED

• Plain bagel as-is

• Everything bagel as-is

THE EXPERIENCE

bakerylouise

A post shared by @bakerylouise

To be fair, it wasn’t much of a schlepp. The Saturday morning pickup meant a breezy 20-minute drive to the Bakery Louise storefront (a.k.a. Hartung’s residence). The entryway was set up with all the pre-orders and various breads and pastries, all of which looked incredibly good and appetizing.

I learned that, along with a Shoreline Farmers Market booth, she’s keeping a close eye on potential retail spots. In the meantime, the cottage bakery business is booming.

I got a mix of bagel flavors (plain, everything, salt, sesame, za’atar, and Wild Shoreline, which includes rosemary, fennel, and Jacobson's sea salt). I also snagged a lemon poppyseed cream scone, and she was kind enough to throw in a sourdough loaf (though a reminder that It’s a Shanda Industries cannot be bought!).

UPON FIRST GLANCE

My bagels were waiting for me in a nice carrying bag, and I could immediately see that we were working with some strong seed hands. The bagels' uniform golden brown and blistery coloring also struck me.

TOP

The plain bagel was a good size with an oblong shape and large center. The top was extremely blistery. One side of the bagel was dark brown, while the rest was golden brown. The top was very firm and crinkly to the touch, featuring some crispy points throughout. One side was even slightly crackly.

(NOTE: Bakery Louise doesn’t make cream cheese, so I didn’t include it in my review). The everything bagel was a good size, oblong, and included a medium center. The top was softer than the plain, pushing inward. From what I could tell, it was a golden brown coloring throughout. I would describe the seed hand as “aggressive,” with some seasoning loosely applied and filling the center. The everything mix did include salt, AS GOD INTENDED.

BOTTOM

The bottom of the plain bagel had a nice dark brown ring. It was firm, crisp, and somewhat knockable. There was no Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD) present.

The bottom of the everything bagel was firm but soft. It had strong seasoning coverage, which is always appreciated. No CRoD was present.

INSIDE/BITE

The plain bagel had a tough, crackly rip. Its chew was very crispy, and the interior featured a strong sourdough flavor. The textural mix—a doughy but not airy inside and a crisp, slightly crunchy exterior—was enjoyable. It was a tough bite but in a good way. The bagel also rebounded fully after each bite, showing nice structural integrity.

The everything bagel also had a tough bite, but in a good way. It ate a little differently than the plain. The interior was slightly lighter, and the exterior was less crisp, but the seasoning provided some extra texture. There was also less of a sourdough aroma from the inside. Thanks to the seasoning, each bite had a ton of flavor, though seeds were everywhere afterward. Even without a schmear, this bagel was very eatable and saporous.

FINAL THOUGHTS

bakerylouise

A post shared by @bakerylouise

I eat a lot of bagels (some might say too many), and it’s always a joy to discover a new one that I enjoy. The ones from Bakery Louise immediately move toward the top of my Outside-Seattle list, and, dare I say; this micro-bakery is giving many Seattle spots a run for their money. I’m excited to see what’s next for Hartung and Bakery Louise.

While the everything bagel could stand to lose a little bit of that seasoning, it was a flavor bomb and fun to eat. The plain bagel was extremely solid. While sourdough bagels aren’t always my jam, these were very enjoyable to eat, and I will definitely place another order soon.

I should also say that I enjoyed the other bagels, powered through the sourdough bread, and absolutely devoured the lemon poppyseed cream scone. That thing was a revelation.

You can check out Bakery Louise’s goods and place a pre-order of your own here.

Is It Good Enough For The Goys?

They should be so lucky! Aside from The Cottage Bakery near Edmonds, I’m unaware of other bakeries making their own bagels in the Shoreline area. The closest spot to the south is Zylberschtein's. Hartung said she didn’t expect many people to come from Seattle to buy her bagels, but I hope some will consider placing an order to see if they agree it’s worth it.

Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?

Tell you what, the corridor between North Seattle and Everett is desperate for good bagels, and I feel like you’d be hard-pressed to find better ones than these. Depending on the time of year, they also make challah…

OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (3/3/25)

1. 6th Borough Bagels (Olympia) - 1st visit, 2nd visit

2. Atomic Bagels (Port Angeles)

3. Bakery Louise (Shoreline)

4. The Bagelry (Bellingham)

5. Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)

6. The Cottage Bakery (Edmonds)

7. Briny Bagels (Bainbridge Island)

8. Shawn’s Cafe & Bakery (Mercer Island)

9. Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)

10. Caffe Vino Olio (Vashon Island)

11. Rubinstein Bagels (Redmond)

12. Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)

13. Mustard Seed Baking Co. (Stanwood)

14. San Francisco Street Bakery (Olympia)

15. Blazing Bagels (Redmond)

16. Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)

17. Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon)

18. Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)

19. B’s Bagels & Butters (Gig Harbor)

20. Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Clinton)

21. Big Apple Bagels (Bellevue)

22. Bruchelle’s Bagel Bistro (Covington)

23. Street Coffee & Bagels (Everett)

You can find my full rankings here.

Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward this link their way.